It is no coincidence that Hyundai chose London to present the Ioniq 6, the second model in the Ioniq range, the Korean manufacturer’s electric-only brand. «This place is really inspiring for us creatives. It’s an incubator of trends», says Simon Loasby, Vice President, Head of Hyundai Style Group, who we meet in the British capital for the car’s presentation.
Developed in just 38 months
Speaking of trends, «the Ioniq 6 follows the one aiming to maximise aerodynamic efficiency through a few lines and a pursuit of styling that is as pure as possible», continues Loasby, pointing to the Ioniq 6’s roof defined by a single line that starts at the first pillar and reaches the rear seamlessly. «This arched section was the starting point of an exciting project, developed in just 38 months with an intermediate stage called the Prophecy», he says, citing the prototype unveiled in 2020 and which won the Car Design Award for the Concept Cars category that same year.
A global electric model
Those proportions taken to the limit have been refined for a series production, and although the end result has lost some of the sportiness of the concept car, the identity elements have not changed: from the squared-off headlights to the rear spoiler to the more than 700 Pixel-shaped LEDs – «a must in an Ioniq» – distributed between the exterior and interior. For the Korean manufacturer, the Ioniq 6 represents a global electric car model. That is why Hyundai’s style centres in Europe, Korea and the United States contributed to its creation.
Record-breaking Cx
The use of a platform reserved exclusively for electric cars (the E-GMP) allowed the designers to play with the shapes, lengthening the wheelbase as much as possible (to 2.95 metres for a length of 4.85 metres) to obtain more space for the battery pack and increase the interior roominess. «For the perfect flow of air we reduced the openings at the front to a minimum and designed a clean flank with retractable handles and two cameras instead of the large rear view mirrors. The goal was achieved: with a drag coefficient of just 0.21, the Ioniq 6 is the most aerodynamic production Hyundai ever built», says a satisfied Loasby.
Many references, few similarities
The Ioniq 6 carries forward the Hyundai Look, the styling philosophy that eschews family feeling to create uniquely designed models belonging to the same brand. For the many references, few are the similarities: «Just like with chess pieces. Each one is part of the same team, but with different roles and aesthetics», continues Loasby. The layout of the interior, however, is similar to what we saw on the Ioniq 5.
Sustainable interiors
On the horizontal dashboard we find the two 12.3-inch displays for the instrumentation and infotainment systems, while the centre console houses a generous storage compartment. The upholstery makes extensive use of environmentally friendly materials such as ecologically treated leather, fabrics derived from recycled PET or carpeting from recycled fishing nets found at sea. «Sustainability is at the heart of this project. It is not only conveyed by its shapes, it can also be touched», concludes Loasby.
(Full article in A&D n. 256)
